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Uhhh...

Adam Serwer at Tapped lets us know that Rush Limbaugh will be a judge for the Miss America Contest. "[I]t seems to me that when looking for the judge of a beauty contest sexism may be more of a feature than a bug...Someone who laments the 'chickification' of American culture probably enjoys a ritual that puts women -- how would the RNC put it -- 'in their place,'" Serwer writes.

I got married this weekend. Woot! I'll have a longer post soon about the experience and some thoughts I've been having about feminism and marriage, but for now - since I'm too tired to move - enjoy some pictures from the wedding. There's a slide show after the jump. (And thanks to all of the lovely readers and commenters who sent me good wishes.)

When asked about motherhood in an interview for Prevention magazine, she said she actually learned what not to do from her mom, which is to sacrifice your entire being for your kids:

"She'd say being a good mother isn't all about sacrificing. It's really investing and putting yourself higher on your priority list."

"Throughout my life, I've learned to make choices that make me happy and make sense for me. . . So I have freed myself to put me on the priority list and say, yes, I can make choices that make me happy, and it will ripple and benefit my kids, my husband and my physical health."

"That's hard for women to own. We're not taught to do that. It's a lesson that I want to teach my girls."

This makes me very happy:

Huh, what? (I also love this Kermit-does-Talking-Heads video.)

Thanks to my pal Amina for the link.

Since we didn't have Monday Monty Blogging yesterday (and due to a couple of readers' requests via Facebook), I thought I'd give a little update on Monty's cousin, Tweet, who I've blogged about before.

She not only has huge feet, but lays on her back all day like a dog so I can scratch her tummy. She also plays fetch; I'm completely convinced she's a dog in a cat's body.

Tweet is also the sweetest cat in the world, so sweet that she wants to lick her brother's face. All day. There's a short video after the jump of her trying to get his face in her grip so she can clean him up, then gives up after much resistance.

My first ever profile picture! Taken on the night we decided to start Feministing, at a bar in the East Village.

Since our inception in 2004, we've published over 9400 posts. Since launching the Community blog just over a year ago, you all have published over 5000! (Damn, catching up with us!!)

Feministing has over 200,000 comments on its entries.

Two of the top search terms that bring people to the site are upskirt and ball busting.

Our look has changed significantly.

Me and Sunshine, looking emo.

This post is a bit personal and self-indulgent, so feel free to stop reading now. It's also about my family pet.

Last Monday, while I was home visiting my mom, we had to put my 16 year old cockateil Sunshine to sleep.

I got him as a pet when I was only nine, a compromise pet from parents who didn't want, or were allergic to, cats and dogs. I had no idea when I got him at age 9 that he would be still alive and kicking into my mid-twenties. He also survived quite a few near-death experiences. He had an unfortunate run-in with a ceiling fan once, in addition to a sticky mouse trap, being stepped on and even escaping the house for a few days only to be found by a neighbor on their roof.

To be honest, growing up I was mostly annoyed by him. Birds are loud, messy and not as cute as dogs or cats. You can't run around outside with them, or snuggle with them, and your friends won't want to come over and play with them. Sunshine was pretty attached to me after a few years, so he was pretty unfriendly to everyone else. He used to wake me up at 8am by squawking loudly, and I'd have to get up and bring him into my room with me, where he would bother me until I got up.

Despite all that, putting him to sleep was really hard. He was old, and having trouble breathing, so we brought him to the vet. They told us he probably had a cancer of some sort, and that it would be best to put him down since he was having such a hard time breathing. My mom and I both cried, a lot more than I ever would have expected over a bird. Despite all the annoyances, he was a companion, and a big part of our family after so many years. I'm going to miss him.

We buried him in the front yard, and there is a small sun shaped garden decoration above where he is buried.

Conservative Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) in Canada Doug Elniski has been catching a ton of shit for posting the text of a speech that he gave a couple of weeks ago to junior high school students on his blog, where he supposedly told the girls that "men are attracted to smiles":

Part of the posting included advice to girls saying, "Ladies, always smile when you walk into a room, there is nothing a man wants less than a woman scowling because he thinks he is going to get s--t for something and has no idea what."

It continues, "Men are attracted to smiles, so smile, don't give me that 'treated equal' stuff. If you want Equal, it comes in little packages at Starbucks."

Elniski's blog was taken down on Monday afternoon.

Blog gone or not, the real damage was done to the female students he reached that day. While Elniski clarified that the comparison between equality and a sweetener wasn't actually said at the speech and publicly apologized for the "stupid, inappropriate" comment on his blog, his creepy reference to smiles was said. He actually defends that one, claiming he was merely trying to say that "men and women should be friendly and approachable in dealing with others."

Nice try, dude.

This has nothing to do with feminism. It just makes me happy.

Redeem thyself, fornicator.

Sugar Daddy's here, no need to worry about silly ole frequent flyer miles...

Reader Rebecca is a member of American Airlines' frequent flyer program, but wasn't too thrilled when she opened her inbox to find an email with this image and the tagline:

"She's thinking about dessert. You're thinking about the 1,000 American Airlines AAdvantage® bonus miles you just earned."

I guess they didn't think about the fact that some of their customers in the program might be (I know it's hard to grasp but), um, female. Yeah.

Via Womanist Musings, I find myself speechless.

Located in the Netherlands, Fitness First took it upon themselves to use a different approach to marketing their clubs - public shaming. When someone sits on a bench to rest while waiting for the bus, the ad literally shows the person's weight in red numbers for the world to see. I second Renee's thoughts.

This FAIL Blog has become quite a popular go-to for your daily funny, until a reader alerted us to this gem.

Really, dudes?

Also posted on the community blog.

This isn't directly related to feminism, but we just had to give props to our tech grrlfriend Deanna Zandt who recently posted "A non-fanatical beginner's guide to Twitter," and I highly recommend checking it out.

Twitter is a beautiful thing for it not only gives you the opportunity to self-indulge shamelessly, but has become a critical tool for networking, resource-sharing and is the most immediate and direct way you can offer your thoughts and/or work to the world. Check it.

Yes, Valentine's Day is largely a commercialized, heteronormative and shallow holiday, but that doesn't mean we can't use it to give our readers some feminist love anyway! In short, we love you. Yes, more than Obama.

What are you doing to celebrate/subvert the holiday tomorrow?

I'm going to keep this short and sweet since you all had the pleasure of meeting Samhita's cats the other day, but I felt it necessary to give my kitten Tweet some Feministing love this week. She got spayed a couple of days ago and is absolutely miserable - mostly because she has to wear a cone on her head for the next two weeks and can't do the normal galavanting and troublemaking she usually gets into.

What's worse is that the cone is hella big on her tiny head, so her ears are flattened by its weight and she walks around with her head low to the ground as if sulking; it's a very sad sight.

Do folks have any post-spayed kitty tips so I can better comfort my healing baby?

I forgot to cover this after seeing its commercial, but luckily reader Saira reminded me today. One A Day vitamins are marketing their new product, Teen Advantage for Him and Her, and it ain't pretty.

It's not even the gendering of vitamins in general or even the pink and blue bottles they come in that really get me, but their contention of what's important for teen boys' and girls' growth:

Complete Multivitamins for Teen Boys & Girls to Support:*

* Healthy muscle function with Magnesium (for Him)
* Healthy skin with Vitamins A and C, Copper, and Iron (for Her)

That's right ladies. Who needs muscle function when you have the clear skin to attract strong boys to pick stuff up for you?

So, I'm getting married. To this guy. There, I said it. I've been putting off writing about this for a while now (as somewhat explained by the hilarious someecard that Amanda sent to me above).

Being that most of us here blog about our personal lives quite a bit - from birth control and Spanx to body image and pets - it seems only natural that I would write about getting married. Especially given how political marriage is, especially right now.

But there was something nice about having this be private and not for public blogging, flickring, Facebooking or commenting. (After all, you don't have to be a blogger to have your personal life on display!) And I was feeling all romantical, certainly not like debating and politicizing my relationship decisions. But shit, that's what I kind of signed up for, right? Well...maybe.

I think that blogging about your life as a way to talk about politics can be a powerful tool; it's one I've used often and find effective. It humanizes experiences that are so often talked about as statistics and develops a sense of community that can be powerful when called to action. But political and media strategies aside, I like that when I meet readers in person they feel as if they know me and other editors on the site (and if they're a commenter, I feel as if I know them!). It's a lovely feeling of connectedness and solidarity that's unlike anything else, and I value it deeply.

But I also think that what we - as bloggers, writers or just folks with an online presence - put out into the public sphere should be up to us. I don't want to feel that I must blog about getting married because it relates to the work that I do. I want to be able to have things that are just for me and not be judged poorly because of that. (Whether or not these are realistic wants remains to be seen!)

After thinking about this for a while, I realized that I don't feel like I had to blog about getting married - I wanted to. I wanted to share some good news with a community that I love and am proud to have had a hand in creating.

I'm positive you'll be hearing more from me on the marriage front: Like how to do it while shirking patriarchal tradition? Or why I decided to participate in an institution that still (for the most part) excludes same-sex couples. And I'd love to hear back from you as well - what your experiences are with marriage, not-being-married, etc. I think it could be a great conversation.

But for right now, I'm just going to be glad that I've finally shared this news with all of you, and start to think about subversive wedding favors...or something.

Reader Shena caught eye of this lovely flyer walking to work the other day. Here's a larger image.

I love how it says "McFadden's proudly presents." It seems bar ads bring out the very worst of sexist ridiculousness like this, and is only more convincing of how fucked up drinking culture is in this country.

I found this while getting my friend a birthday card at my Rite Aid in Queens the other day and couldn't resist taking record of it. We all know that greetings cards themselves are gendered enough, but the actual card sections? Damn.

This makes me a wee uncomfortable.

It's a shopping bag used by the German condom company Condomi, where the handle is conveniently placed right where peeps' genitals are supposed to me. (Although the bags are of women and men.)

What do you think - offensive or just tacky erotica?

ht/ to Helen!

Shiny Shiny brings us the latest in feminized gear: a pink heart-shaped guitar for Guitar Hero. Okay, I get that some folks like the color, but can I just say I'm so incredibly sick of products being marketed towards women simply by slapping some pink on them?

I mean, there's pink laptops, tools, websites, iPods, pocket knives - even cigarettes! The pink madness has to end. In fact, I think one of my new year's resolutions will be to avoid all things pink (with the exception of cotton candy Jelly Bellys - I love those things).

What's your least favorite pink (or otherwise gendered) product?

This is an oldie but a badie.

If someone got this for me for Christmas, I may have possibly beat them with it. This "sexy furniture" created by Mario Philippona isn't new to us, but reader Mary alerted us to the piece and I just had to share.

Couldn't be more offensive, right? But perhaps not as bad as his Winespread, which is bluntly described, "You can stick your bottle in a wide spread sculpted pussy."

Warms the heart, doesn't it?

So I'm just flipping through the stations on my television, using the cable guide, and I come across a segment of 20/20 on We. The "info" that describes what the episode is about?

Young, beautiful, dead.

I think I need a glass of wine tonight.

I generally love RedEnvelope for their nice gifts (though a bit overpriced), yet this made me laugh out loud. Of course the picture of their monogrammed branders (of your monogrammed choosing) has to be of "son" and "dad." Because there's nothing manlier than doing some grillin' some steak and branding your manliness into the meat.

I went to dinner last night at a pretty nice place and the waiter kept referring to be in the third person:

"Does the lady want any dessert?" "Does she like her wine?" "Is the soup to her liking?"

He did not refer to my male companion in the third person and it was sort of hard to tell whether he was directing these questions at me or my dinner date.

Can someone please explain this to me? Am I somehow made invisible or mute by having a vagina? Was I zapped back into 1952 without realizing it? Did the waiter expect my friend to order for me? Was he shocked when a lady opened her own mouth and real live words came out describing real independent choices?

Note to waiters: Not cool.

Two different takes on seeing family this time of year...

from SLB at Post Bourgie:

Whenever I go back there, I never quite know what to say. How do you answer for why you're not in one of those townhomes? You, who insisted on going around the mulberry bush to get a couple of degrees instead of just stacking paper at the post office right out of high school? How do you return to a school reunion and tell your homeowning, child-rearing former classmates that you live on your fam's couch while you're building your curriculum vitae?

and from Antigone at PunkAssBlog:

Unpleasant aspects number two: This has been a problem for awhile now, but now that Hubby and I are married, it's put into even sharper relief: where are we going to spend Christmas? The various families all want us at their houses*, which are functionally on the other end of the country. The worst part of all of this? I don't want to go to ANY of the family for Christmas; because by some sort of unspoken contract that I was not a party to, we are only allowed to talk about: the weather, sports, new births, new relationships (on a very shallow level, and no talking about heartbreak), new jobs and food. Oh, and I'm no longer allowed to talk about the weather because I keep using meteorological terms and I brought up global warming once. I'm also forbidden from talking about, in no particular order: politics, books, movies, social movements, college, and the biggest one: religion.

Sure, you can go home again. But for some of us, it's pretty damn uncomfortable.

Heh. A reader sent us this New York Times advice column:

Q: I've decided that marriage is not for me. But at 32, I'm missing the domestic "set up" that my friends received from their bridal showers. I love to cook and bake, and have so far made do with cheap appliances and tools.

I will soon be moving from an apartment to a house, and I would like to leverage this change into a housewarming that I can register for. After being in eight weddings, I feel it's time my friends and family set me up for domesticity -- even if it isn't in the traditional mode. But the Midwestern Puritan in me thinks this may be tacky and greedy. What's a girl to do?

- Sarah, Cleveland

A: Well, in this case, Sarah, you should thank your lucky stars for the Midwest Puritan in you -- since it saved you from making a tacky, greedy fool of yourself!

We've all felt ill-used by friends, especially if we make the mistake of totaling up the dollar value of our unreciprocated gifts. But you're forgetting all the other benefits of friendship: sitting through lousy movies our friends want to see, for instance, and waiting for them at busy restaurants for seeming eternities. (emphasis mine)

This may remind some of the Sex and the City episode where Carrie registers herself for a pair of shoes, which her friend (whom Carrie had spent plenty of dough on for her wedding and new baby) reluctantly buys in congratulations of Carrie's decision to not wed.

Many of us can probably say we've spent quite a pretty penny on friends' weddings. And while I've given all of my gifts to friends with love and happiness in my heart, I've also had to scrounge - and I mean scrounge - to give some friends' gifts. And it does become an issue when multiple weddings and bridal party's costs can easily add up to 10K over the course of just a few years.

In short, money can matter, and sadly does. More importantly, why is it that marriage and reproduction are the only things worthy of gifts to help loved ones settle into their adult lives? These occasions are largely celebrated because they're seen as "big moves" in one's life. Well, buying a house is a huge commitment; shouldn't she be celebrated and supported in her "big move"? She certainly shouldn't be shamed as "greedy" for wanting that.

New blog Awesome and Fablous! asked the question today, "Which Huxtable are you?"

This came up in conversation between the bloggers Soraya and Veronica when discussing how folks are more or less saying Michelle Obama is a 2008 version of Claire Huxtable.

I don't know who I'd be, but I'll say always wanted to be Denise - she seemed so free-spirited and unique. (And cool as hell, not to mention.)

I know this has nothing to do with feminism, but A. I think it's always good to end the week on a good note, and B. This little french girl was just too adorable and made me think of one of my favorite movies, Amelie. For fans of the film, is this not the real-life version of Amelie as a child?? Sigh.

Thanks to Michael for the link!

This seems too insane to be real. (Click here for larger image)

Via copyranter, we find this old ad for Heinz soup that starts with:

"The things women have to put up with. Most husbands, nowadays, have stopped beating their wives, but what can be more agonizing to a sensitive soul than a man's boredom at meals. Yet, lady, there must be a reason. If your cooking and not your conversation is monotonous, that's easily fixed."

Just cook up some nice soup for your man to keep him preoccupied, because you wouldn't want to make him bored, would you, lady??

Totally. Speechless.

Cindy Rodriguez from the Allentown Women's Center sent us a picture of this awesome Feministing pumpkin she carved out for the clinic. Thanks for the awesome Feministing-o-lantern, Cindy! You can also check out some of her book reviews on Lesbiatopia.

What are you doing/wearing for Halloween tonight?

Sometimes people ask me how I deal with all the anti-feminist, anti-woman craziness. Well, one answer is that I do things like go to ridiculous (but fun in a puffy paint shirt, huge fan button kinda way) concerts. Joey 4-eva.

I saw this ridiculous Chevy commercial a couple of days ago and am so glad reader John reminded me about it (h/t!), it's definitely worth sharing.

Apparently women aren't marketable to the auto industry unless shoes are involved.

While this isn't as disturbing as some of the vintage car and auto-related commercials we've found, it's run-of-the-mill sexism is irritable enough.

Although shockingly, we have found one anti-sexist car ad. Go Johnson Automotive!

The Feministing gals Courtney, Vanessa and Samhita went out dancing last night while I was stuck in working. Sigh. So I made a little mix tape as an homage to their night out, with hopes that I'll get out of the house one of these days. Until then, I'll have to be satisfied dancing in my living room.

(One of the songs on this "tape" Courtney and I requested at the WAM after-party, just to have everyone else leave the dance floor in confusion as we happily busted moves. Any guesses which one it was?)

While being Monty's auntie is one of the greatest joys in my life, I had to represent this once for my cat-lovers and take the opportunity to show off my newly adopted kitty, Tweet. This scrawny Russian Blue wants to eat everything at every hour of the day, creepily stares at me while I sleep and has a seemingly abnormal amount of flatulence. (I bet a bunch of y'all could say the same for your live-in lovas.)

Check out another pic after the jump of her and my other cat, Cracker, who loffes her. I mean, I've never seen so much ass-licking in my life. (Sorry, it's true!)

In honor of Google's 10th birthday, they have made their oldest available archive from 2001 available once again. So go here, google yourself, and find out if you had an internet presence way back at the beginning of this century.

One fun prepost-debate exercise: google all four of the nominees on the two presidential tickets. Can you guess which one of the candidates had no internet presence in 2001?

Via DCist

Click here for larger image.

I really don't even know what to say about this, but it was too bizarrely sexist to not post.

Via.

Let's count the ways that this gem from AllPosters.com makes us feel icky.

I went to Clifton, NJ for a BBQ and finally caught up with the all the episodes of Mad Men. So...how was your weekend?

Cake Wrecks features this mess of an anti-sexual harassment cake (or a bad joke?). I don't really have anything to say about it - it was just too bizarre not to post.

Thanks to Mo in Germany for the link!

Reading a book on anti-feminists! on 12seconds.tv

So I just signed up for this video Twitter-like thing called 12 seconds (because my actual Twitter wasn't taking up enough of my time, it seems.) If you want to follow my oh-so-interesting 12 second musings on feminism, click here.

It's not only a band, but a ban of bikinis (Heh, I liked playing on words) at public pools in a small city outside of Salt Lake City, Utah.

I love how the mayor tries to talk about "individual freedoms" like it's something that he respects. Oh, but except when we don't like your freedom.

Just a quick note to any Rutgers students out there who happen to be readers of the blog. I'm teaching a class this fall for the Women's and Gender Studies program: Gender and Popular Culture. I'm really excited to re-connect with my academic roots, and to get to hang with some of the smartest students around (yeah, I'm not exactly objective having gotten my MA at Rutgers, but whatevs). So if you go to Rutgers and want to talk feminism and pop culture, sign up for the class...see you the fall!

Clem in Australia passes this one along: "Hi ladies, thought you might like this little bit of feminist graffiti 'editing' I spotted in Carlton, Melbourne."

Nice.

Maria from Atlanta sent us this super cool picture. Love it. Make sure to email us with any random acts of feminism that you spot (or do!).

Stolen shamelessly from a friend's Facebook profile. (Thanks, Priscilla!)

I've argued that the feminist movement doesn't need icons, and it's always problematic to start naming feminists as more "important" and worthy of iconic status than others. But hey, it's Friday - and it seemed like it would be a fun poll topic. If your feminist icon of choice isn't in the poll, feel free to name drop in comments...

Note: These are names I thought up of off the top of my head, so pretty please spare me any "I can't believe you didn't include so and so" comments. I don't consider this a complete list in the slightest - I was hoping you lovely feministas could help me fill it in. :)

By famous British art critic Brian Sewell:

"The art market is not sexist. . . The likes of Bridget Riley and Louise Bourgeois are of the second and third rank. There has never been a first-rank woman artist.

Only men are capable of aesthetic greatness. Women make up 50 per cent or more of classes at art school. Yet they fade away in their late 20s or 30s. Maybe it's something to do with bearing children." (Emphasis mine)

Um yeah. I guess we can't surprised, since he's compared women's apparent incapacity to drive well with their artistry in the past.

I'd like to see him try to paint a fucking picture next to some great women artists of our time, like Frida Kahlo or Mary Cassatt. Anyone have favorite greats they'd like to share?

Thanks to Lynne for the link!

Yet another reason I'm proud to be a New Yorker.

Of the top five women executives in New York State, their businesses consist not of fashion or a perfume line, but of cars, computers, electronics, construction and envelopes.

Hotness.

h/t to MAC.

Feministing friend and liberal blogger Brian Beutler was shot and seriously injured late Tuesday night in an attempted mugging. Despite being shot three times and losing a spleen, Brian is doing well and cracking jokes already. Which doesn't shock us at all.

Our thoughts are with him, and his badass sense of humor, as he recovers.

On Dennis Miller's radio show Wednesday, McCain's former top strategist Mike Murphy talks about current chief strategist Charlie Black's recent slip that another terrorist attack would be "a big advantage" for their campaign. And what better way to lighten the conversation by joking about tits:

Transcript:

MILLER: Charlie Black, the aide decamp for McCain who gacks it here, does he have to go, do you think?

MURPHY: Well, he’s an old friend of mine, so I’ll defend him. I don’t know what happened. I think there must have been tremendous reporter cleavage involved or something.

MILLER: hahahahahahaha

MURPHY: Charlie got off his focus, he’s a good guy, he’s apologized for it... (Emphasis mine)

Via Think Progress.

h/t to Jake.

Just wanted to say a happy (belated) daddy's day to all those great fathers out there! My father is a huge feminist and was definitely a tremendous influence in my politics - so thanks, Dad!

Also, as you can see from the pic below (my Dad is on the far left) - there were other things I inherited from him as well.

(And for anyone who's interested, the babe in the middle with the long hair is my mom.)

Feel free to share Dad stories in comments!

Since our posts are usually about the sad state of women's rights in the world, I thought it would be nice to end today with something that's always fun: self-humiliation. So the question is, dear readers, what is the first concert you ever went to? And no, I don't mean some cool jazz thing that your parents dragged you to when you were a kid - I mean what musician(s) did you desperately try to scrounge up tickets for, and then go freaking out with the hope that maybe, just maybe, they'd see you from stage. (Okay, maybe that's just me from my NKOTB phase. I was in love with Joey, so sue me.)

My source of shame is below.

I got my older cousin to take me, and I totally wore that stupid Debbie Gibson hat.

And for those that aren't embarrassed by their first concert...I hate you.

Some women I've met talk about coming feminism via a "click" moment. Personally, I think I was always a feminist - but I didn't call myself one until after I took a Women's Studies class in college. So my "click" was more of a process...but an awesome one!

So, dear readers, vote and tell us in comments how you came to be a feminist. (And of course I realize a poll is a fairly limited way to gauge this sort of thing, but hey, it's fun.)

I really just wanted to direct you to one of my favorite parts of Margaret Cho's Revolution, which is about 4:43 in. Hilarious yet terrifying. By the way, this is not safe for work.

Finding out that my boyfriend's g-chat status message inspired a Feministe post. Nice going, dear!

Since Jess gives you the full Monty, I thought I'd bless (bore?) you with a couple little pics of one Ms. Kima Greggs. (Yes, she's named after the badass police officer on The Wire). She likes to use my cellphone as a pillow while she reads feministing.

And sometimes she helps me with secretarial duties. I pay her in by graciously scooping her shit. Look, all roommates have agreements. This just happens to be ours.

Hey folks, just a note to say that posting may be slow today. I have a flu/cold that's kicking my ass, despite all the Sudafed I'm forcing myself to take. (Any tips for getting better sooner would be much appreciated. I'm a garlic-clove-eating person myself, but it's not working.)

In the meantime, enjoy the picture above - a little something I like to call "shoe graveyard." It's what Andrew and I came home to on Monday night after a long dinner. Monty has never been much of a shoe-eating dog, but it seems he got it all out of his system at once. I had to say goodbye to some of my favorite shoes, but the cute-guilty look on Monty's face was almost worth it. Almost.

Back in the day, colors were stereotyped the actual opposite of our current pink/girl and blue/boy bullshit:

In Western culture, the practice of assigning pink to an individual gender began in the 1920s. From then until the 1940s, pink was considered appropriate for boys because it was the more masculine and decided color while blue was considered appropriate for girls because it was the more delicate and dainty color. Since the 1940s, the societal norm apparently inverted so that pink became appropriate for girls and blue appropriate for boys, a practice that has continued into the 21st century. (Emphasis mine)

Too bad that before the switcheroo, the colors were just as stereotypical as the current gendering of blue/pink. And it still sort of shocks me that this still exists; I went to a friend’s baby shower the other day and literally 95% of the gifts were blue. You can guess what the gender is anticipated to be.

Thanks to Lydia for the link.

When I wake up with this song inexplicably stuck in my head, he doesn't know what I'm talking (or singing) about. For shame.

Retro video after the jump.

This one is a keeper.

Thanks to Becca for the link.

So my poor laptop is in the shop, and I'm freaking out because it looks like I won't have it for the rest of the week (and will be stuck using my boyfriend's computer, which hates me). But I had the most hilarious moment on the phone with a woman at the AppleCare call center of the store that's fixing my Mac. Turns out, she reads Feministing and told me that the folks over there all read our blog and Pandagon. Nice!

So, a big shout out to Daisy and all the other folks at AppleCare who read Feministing. And I swear I'm not doing this in the hopes my computer will be ready faster. Seriously.

I’m a pretty big fan of Seth Godin. He’s not only really smart about marketing; he’s also a fantastic writer. And it seems to me, an all around good guy. So, I was rather disturbed to see this:

Why do people struggling for an income end up using an expensive check cashing service when the bank right next door will let them have a checking account for free?

Just about everyone has noise inside their head. It's a noise that keeps them from being rational, that forces them to avoid the simple truths sometimes, that makes them unable to take a shortcut when a long (more emotional one) is available.

Seth’s blog is all about marketing, and it seems to me that taking a little time to think about people and their decision-making might be useful in that field.

And you thought Happy Furry People was good.

This is just hilarious. The fact that the G-spot has been "proven" to exist by a study with just 20 women is classic:

The mysterious G spot - supposedly a route to female sexual satisfaction - can be located with ultrasound, claim Italian scientists. (Emphasis mine)

You know, because of course women's own personal experiences don't prove diddly squat. On a serious note, check out Betty Dodson's take on the G-spot for some more insightful literature.

Thanks to Fatima for the heads up.

And in "goody," I mean ridiculously offensive. In the midst of a trade discussion in 1973 with Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, Chinese leader Mao Zedong offered sending Chinese women to the United States as as a trade, saying:

"We don't have much. What we have in excess is women. So if you want them we can give a few of those to you, some tens of thousands. . . We have too many women. ... They give birth to children and our children are too many."

And the kicker: "It is such a novel proposition," Kissinger replied. "We will have to study it."

Nothing like some vintage sexism to get the blood boiling.

Thanks to Pamela for the link.

The Montana Kaimin had a piece last week on Jessica's presentation at a Students for Choice event at the University of Montana earlier this week, but apparently their weekly rating system given on Fridays had Jessica's "rating" retracted shortly after it was published:

The Full Frontal Feminist, Jessica Valenti, gave a speech on the UM campus Wednesday night, and unfortunately gets Backhands. BU&Bh was quite excited for this presentation, until we realized there was no actual full frontal. And yes, we recognize the irony of Backhanding feminists. (Emphasis mine)

While we give props to them for cutting it out, but the fact that they published it in the first place is beyond me.

A big thanks to Jamee for speaking out on this.

So apparently Australian researchers have found more evidence showing that women can be more forgetful during pregnancy. What I want to know is where the hell "baby brain" came from and are you as perturbed by the term as I am?

Just saw this on a couple of email lists and, well, wow.

Esquire is asking the women of America to take part in something huge. How huge? It just might be the largest survey of American women in the history of survey. Our goal is to interview 10,000 women – you read that correctly: 10,000 – and we only have one question: What is something that men don’t know about women?

Building on our popular monthly feature 10 Things You Don’t Know About Women (examples below, or by clicking this link ), we want to educate the American man about women in a way no one ever has: By directly asking 10,000 of them.

Does it drive anyone else nuts when they see commercials for MaxiPads and they use that goddamn blue liquid as a stand-in for menstrual blood? (I'm talking to you, Always!) I mean, who even thought of that?

Hey folks, I'm in Minneapolis gearing up for the Minnesota Choice Coalition's event commemorating Roe. I'll also be at the University of Minnesota tomorrow, speaking about my book and the blog. In the meantime, I've written kind of a fun article for Babble about Monty. Hope you like it. PS: Minnesota is cold.

I don't know what disturbs me more: That Paris Hilton is being named Harvard's Woman of the Year, or finding out that we have the same taste in clothes.

UPDATE: Thankfully, this award isn't as shmancy as it sounds.

This week was no joke. Between misogyny in the media, "gray" rape and and election madness, I think we all could use some cuteness to take the edge off.

Have a great weekend, folks.

UPDATE: Here's another video since the first was taken down. But be warned, maybe don't listen to the newscast. Sad news about the other cub...

This one has got to be on our next Disturbing Product Poll, despite the fact that it's a little more, um, complicated than your typical sexist toy. Move over Real Dolls, "re-born" babies are becoming a trend in the US and UK. And it absolutely terrifies me.

Thanks to MAC for this disturbing shit. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go buy a stroller for my new fake baby.

The super fabulous Jill Filipovic is the new editor of Alternet's recently-launched Reproductive Justice and Gender section.

I can't think of a smarter gal for the job.

Just so you know, I don't kiss on the mouth.

I've been trying to stay away from these random studies that the media loves to use as a means of promoting bullshit sexist theories, but this is too ridiculous to not point out:

Selling sex is said to be humankind's oldest profession but it may have deep evolutionary roots, according to a study into our primate cousins which found that male macaques pay for intercourse by using grooming as a currency.

According to the research, female macaques are more likely to want to have sex immediately after getting groomed. This, according to the researchers, is a method of payment, although the females don't necessarily even have sex with the macaque who grooms them. So are those just "freebies"? What about the possibility that the females might actually get aroused by being groomed? (I sure as hell do.) The article continues:

The work supports the theory that biological market forces can explain social behaviour, the British weekly says.

'There is a very well-known mix of economic and mating markets in the human species itself,' said Ronald Noe of France's University of Strasbourg.

'There are many examples of rich old men getting young attractive ladies.'

You would think this could be in The Onion. For real.

I'm super pleased to be the inaugural guest blogger at The Nation's Passing Through - a new blog that will feature a different guest writer every month. So go check me out (and some of the funny anti-feminist commenters!)

Hey folks, hope everyone had a great New Years Eve! Me and the boy went to our favorite wine bar in Brooklyn and brought the New Year in drunk on good wine and stuffed with amazing food.

Random question of the day: What won't you miss about 2007?

Dahlia Lithwick has the Bush administration's 10 dumbest legal arguments of the year.

ColorLines conducted a national investigation of fatal police shootings in America’s 10 largest cities. The findings will probably not surprise you.

Rebecca Traister recounts the year in sex.

Sudy delves into the not-always-pleasant world of feminist blog comments.

The New York Times Magazine's latest is the "The Lives They Lived" issue. If anything, read it for the piece on blogger Steve Gilliard who passed away this year.

And Hoyden About Town is collecting nominations for the best feminist blog posts of the year...go put your two cents in before tomorrow's deadline.

As 2007 comes to an end, how poetic that our very own president would give the Sexist Quote of the Year. In People magazine's end-of-the-year review with George Bush, he is asked:

Q: Tell us about your future son-in-law, Henry Hager. Did he do right and ask for Jenna’s hand?

The President: “He kind of sidled up to me and said, ‘Can I come and see you?’ We were sitting outside the presidential cabin here, and he professed his love for Jenna and said, would I mind if he married her? And I said, ‘Got a deal.’ [Laughter] And I’m of the school, once you make the sale, move on. But he had some other points he wanted [to make]. He wanted to talk about how he would be financially responsible.�

How lovely. Nothing like your traditional daughter-for-sale language from the leader of our great nation to get me all warm and fuzzy this holiday season. And shame on the magazine (not like we should expect much from them) to say that "asking for a daughter's hand" is the "right" thing to do. This isn't the fucking '50s, People.

Thanks to reader Jennifer for the heads up.

You have got to be kidding me.

This is right up there with PETA's oh-so-tasteful ads.

Via Nerve.

For reminding you that people like this exist.

H/t Amanda.

The holidays are upon us, and even if you're not celebrating anything at all--it's fun to give gifts, especially when they're super cool feminist ones! Here are some ideas we've put together; feel free to leave your own in comments.

For the ironic feminist

Sticks and Stones Clothing has shirts that make light of your typical anti-feminist insults--and reclaims them!

Speaking of reclaiming feminist stereotypes, what better way than to wear a bra-burning shirt?

And, of course, nothing says subversive like a our very own bird-flipping mudflap girl, available on shirts totes and mugs.

For the charitable feminist

There are a ton of organizations that you can donate in a friend's name to; just a few of our favorites...

The Willie Mae Rock Camp for Girls , where you can rock out, donate and buy shirts.

Girls Write Now, which pairs up at-risk high school girls with professional writers to develop a mentor relationship for a school year.

Pretty Bird Woman House, a woman's shelter on the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation in South Dakota needs to raise money in order to stay open: show them some holiday cheer!

If you want to give internationally, check out MADRE, which supports community-based women's organizations worldwide and advocates for women's rights as human rights.

For the horny feminist

Toys in Babeland always has a great selection of naughty holiday fun, including this schmancy spherical vibrator which both baffles and intrigues me.

On Our Backs is a fun read for the girl who likes girls, buy a subscription for someone you love (or lust)!

And don't forget Feministing friend Rachel Kramer Bussel, who has a bevy of erotic books, from Crossdressing: Erotic Stories to Sex and Candy.

For the smarty-pants feminist

Not that buying vibrators and shirts aren't smarty-pants, of course. But if you're looking for some cool books, why not start by seeing what other Feministing readers like.

Or, if you're more into the pictures, pick up Mikhaela Reid's new cartoon collection. I have a copy and it's bad-ass.

Oh, and here's a list of my fave feminist books (just a few, I'll be adding more tonight!).

And, naturally, don't forget to support feminist magazines! Buy gift subscriptions to BUST, Bitch, make/shift, or ColorLines.

For all feminists

Okay, these are just things that I happen to think are cool--but I bet you will too!

Wanda Sykes' DVD, Sick and Tired. Just...hilarious.

The Douche Card. Because when you're a feminist, you know you'd like to hand these out daily.

Feminist Chicks Dig Me shirt. I've given one to a boyfriend and one to Colbert. I think Colbert appreciated it more.

Happy holidays, all!

As Feministing gets over our food hangovers and prepares to start post regularly again, consider this a open thread--tell us about your holiday, shamelessly self promote your blog or website, or just say hi...

This is one of those crappy web-only gender/"lifestyle" features (with equally idiotic art) that are insulting to both men and women:

Guys: Give thanks for women!

...but not real women, of course. So tomorrow, remember to give thanks for this caricature of femininity! (And masculinity, for that matter.) And then dig into that sexy turkey.

Sued for sexual harassment?!

Here's a weird ass story.

Santas in Australia's largest city have been told not to use Father Christmas's traditional "ho ho ho" greeting because it may be offensive to women, it was reported Thursday.

Sydney's Santa Clauses have instead been instructed to say "ha ha ha" instead, the Daily Telegraph reported.

I'm all against sexist speech...but ho ho ho? Crazy ass people.

Slate asks, Do coffee shops discriminate against women?

Who would have ever possibly thought this headline would come from our feminist-hating darlings, Men's News Daily:

"Feminist Ann Friedman Has a Point"

And that's not sarcasm talking, either. Hilarious!

Who knew that Australia's toy of the year would contain gamma hydroxy butyrate (GHB), a drug commonly used to sedate rape victims. Crazy.

Since a number of children were recently hospitalized after eating beads from Aqua Dots, or Bindeez as they're called in Australia, their products are now frantically being pulled off of all store shelves internationally. The chemical can cause seizures, a coma and even death, if enough is ingested.

I've admittedly seen others take GHB for "recreational" purposes back in the day and to be frank, that shit was terrifying. The fact that it was being sold not only in a toy product, but in beads out of all things (probably the most ingested inedible material out there), is pretty unbelievable.

Via columnist Lucy Kellaway in a piece on office politics:

"More women in the workplace means more problems and there is the whole political correctness thing."

Classic.

This is just awesome.

This is some horrible stuff: "Two California women were killed in a freak train accident. Police believe the high heel shoes they were wearing may have hindered their escape from a car stuck on the tracks, the Los Angeles Times reports."

Sorry for the lack of posts these last few hours--I'm running around trying to get ready for my birthday party tonight at one of my fave spots. The video above is the song I'd most like to dance to tonight. (Getting older makes me feel nostalgic, cut me a break.)

What are your weekend plans?

Despite the creepy "Slut-o-ween" nastiness and costume racism, Halloween can be a good time. I mean hey, free candy right?

So, let's celebrate: What's the best costume you ever had? Mine was this great ballerina get-up my mom put together for me when I was in pre-school that I would later puke all over. Sicked-up-on tutus are some funny shit.

Ten more minutes, mom!

This kinda makes me wish I had a sleeping pillow with my name on it. (Not so much with the torn apart bone.)

Former Congressman Bob Barr (R-Ga.) has an editorial in an Atlanta publication yesterday saying that focusing on sex education is making kids illiterate.

He's specifically referring to the decision made last week to allow a Maine middle school's health center to dispense birth control, and continues on a diatribe claiming that "Portland's middle school students may not be able to read or do math real well, but they'll be able to tell you all about condoms and birth control pills."

He even titled the op-ed, "SAT doesn't stand for Sex Aptitude Test." Awww, Barr tried to make a play on words!

A quick update on King Middle School: A committee member of the school board has proposed a revised plan to give parents the option of blocking access to prescription contraceptives if they enroll their children in the clinic, as well as limit contraceptives to students who are at least 14. (Which probably covers a very small portion of the students as well.)

It's time to bring out the heinous in Halloween.

Between sexy mustard and Anna Rexia, I don't know which is worse. But when these ridiculous, "sexy" costumes start getting marketed to kids is when the nausea really starts to kick in. Girls costumes categorized as "occupational" on this site include "Major Flirt Child," "Nurse Child," and "French Maid Child."

The women's "occupational sexy costumes" are disturbing as well; their careers consist of being "Ella Mental," (shown after the jump -- because tied up and mentally ill just screams sexy), "Shop-A-Holic," "Trophy Wife," "Working Girl," and a "Deviant Housewife."

So a crazed shopaholic, deviant trophy/whore of a wife fits the bill of what it means to be an "occupational" woman for Halloween. Hot.

Monty was super excited to get a new squeaky shoe toy from my mom this weekend. He's been hiding it inexplicably, as if he thinks I'm going to steal it. Hilarious.

A fabulous (and accurate) shirt.

A new study out of Rutgers (represent) finds that feminism improves relationships. I knew it all along, but I'm glad that I have some smarties to back me up.

They found that having a feminist partner was linked to healthier heterosexual relationships for women. Men with feminist partners also reported both more stable relationships and greater sexual satisfaction. According to these results, feminism does not predict poor romantic relationships, in fact quite the opposite.

The study, done by Laurie Rudman and Julie Phelan, also sought to debunk feminist stereotypes. Sounds like my kinda research.

Thanks to Kombiz for the link.

Ah, they grow up so fast. The boyfriend and I took Monty to Astoria Park this weekend where we learned several things about him: Monty is an excellent jumper, he is super shy around people who want to run up and pet him, he prefers pooping on the grass (as evidenced by his going like a million times while we were there). Good times.

While Clay wants to whup Ann's anti-cat ass, Cracker thought he'd reach out to all the anti-felines in a more sympathy-inducing way; the poor baby had to endure 10 days with "the cone" after getting three stitches from a cat fight.

Now if that's not worth some respect, I don't know what is.

Crazy Christian author Mark Dice made a comment about Fox News' female news anchors, "I see shorter skirts on the women of Fox News than I do on the prostitutes being arrested on cop shows." Pretty classy, I know.

What's almost worse was Fox's response: "We're always flattered to have everyone talking about us in one form or another."

Yes, this shit actually gets coverage.

I never said I was a well woman.

Monty is to his ball as I am to water and Advil.

Last night I watched my high school friend (and prom date!) Jesse get hitched. This made me think about how I probably can't avoid the sad truth that I am, in fact, a grown up. Which in turn made me take advantage of the open bar. Liberally. So, dear readers, as I have the worst hangover headache of all time (combined with the fact that it's a three day weekend and all) there will be limited posting today.

In other news, Monty had his first play date this weekend. Phoebe the pug who lives in my apartment building is now officially his bestest friend.

Several readers have emailed me to say that today's content is particularly depressing. (Even with Monday Monty Blogging?!) So I'm happy to bring you a little happy-making video to counteract all the crappy sexism we posted about today. Cheer up, folks. Think furry, happy monsters laughing.

On Mondays I'm generally a ball of stress. Today, for example, I'm freaking because I didn't answer nearly enough emails over the weekend or get any writing done because I thought it was more important to lay on the couch and watch the entire season of Dexter. And then I saw Monty sleeping like this.

So, on this most stressy of days, I suggest that we all take a cue from Monty and use our office chairs for deep relaxation and napping, not working. (A gal can wish, no?)

Monty just loves Woodstock, it give him a chance to play in the bird bath. He got his first real bath later, which he was markedly less happy about.

How was your weekend?

After their tasteless "Milk Gone Wild" campaign a while back, we can't expect much more from PETA. And featuring Alicia "The Crush" Silversone, no less.

Via Nerve.

You know how there's that made up term "sexy ugly" (from the great movie Kissing Jessica Stein)? I think we need another term that describes this amazingly gross ad taken out by a Harvard senior looking for a date.

My final club has a reunion this fall, and my relationship of two years ended disastrously earlier this summer. I have an invitation for myself plus one, and am willing to show you a great time. It is a private party, in an extremely classy setting. There is no real way to describe how ornate the club is, but I guarantee that it will be the most upscale experience of your life. Think back to your high school prom, take away the terrible music, and multiply the experience by ten. You must be white, 5′6″ - 5′9″, young, blonde, attractive, and intelligent. You must be in school, preferably Tufts or Wellesley but BU and BC are acceptable (definitely not MIT). You should be able to hold a conversation, know when to be quiet, and polite in all your behavior. I have seen unruly guests embarrass members before, and I hope this won't be a problem. This event is black-tie, and I am willing to procure an evening gown for you. I hate to sound so harsh, but I have expectations to live up to. No Asian, overweight, or unattractive women please. Ages 18-22 only.

Something like..."funny sad." But better. Any ideas? (Or come to think of it maybe just "fucking pathetic" would work.)

I'm at my parents' house in Woodstock, NY trying to breathe some country air into my city lungs. And while it's great up here for relaxing and getting writing done, being in the woods provides way too many opportunities for Monty to get wet and roll around in the mud. Though he certainly doesn't seem to mind. Check out his "before" shot after the jump.

Anita Roddick, 64, died on Monday of a brain hemorrhage. From The New York Times:

A woman of fierce passions, boundless energy, unconventional idealism and sometimes diva-like temperament, Ms. Roddick was one of Britain’s most visible business executives, and not just because of the ubiquitous and instantly recognizable Body Shop franchises. Working on behalf of numerous causes — the rain forest, debt relief for developing countries, indigenous farmers in impoverished nations, whales, voting rights, anti-sexism and anti-ageism, to name a few — Ms. Roddick believed that businesses could be run ethically, with what she called “moral leadership,� and still turn a profit.

I actually worked at The Body Shop through my college years, and always appreciated their positive campaigns, particularly concerning women. (My favorite is below the fold.) Sad stuff.

Monty is so excited about the new ideas for expanding Feministing, he gives me a high-five.

Monty has been flattered by all of the attention he's been getting lately (at home and on the blogosphere); he tells me he wants an agent immediately.

Since a few people in comments mentioned that they didn't think it was appropriate to have personal posts (pet posts, etc) on a news blog, I'm adding a little extra to Monday Monty blogging. I wanted to use this post to relay a tremendous thank you to those who donated to Feministing this weekend after hearing about our financial woes. It's much appreciated.

On that same note, be on the lookout this week for a super duper announcement concerning the future of Feministing and the work we'd like to do expanding the site. It's gonna be awesome.

What better way to find out what women want in a car then to dress in skirts, heels, and throw on some fake nails?

"A few times a year we go off-site and try to have a learning exercise that is a lot of fun," said [GM vehicle line director Mary Sipes]. "We took our group to the proving grounds and broke them into teams. One guy on each team had to be Mr. Mom. We dressed him in a garbage bag to simulate a tight skirt. We gave him rubber gloves with press on nails, a purse, a baby and a baby stroller and some chores like loading groceries."

The men were then required to go through what women do routinely every day. They had to put the baby in a car seat and buckle them in, fold up the stroller, pull up the liftgate and stow the stroller, put grocery bags in the back. They then had to walk around the vehicle and step into it not using the running board. Wearing the gloves with press-on nails they had to operate the key fob, adjust the radio and then figure out what to do with their purses -- without breaking or losing a nail. Lost or broken fingernails or torn garbage bag skirts resulted in points against the final score.

"We had a lot of laughs," said Sipes, "but the men's awareness of how women function in the vehicle really changed."

Okay, I'm all for thinking of women's needs when designing cars--but is this just a tad too stereotypical? I keep thinking about that horrible Mel Gibson movie (image above) where he waxes his legs and tries on nail polish to get into the "female mind." I mean, are women's concerns about their vehicles really all about fingernails and purses?

What do you, dear readers, look for in a car?

Random interesting aside: Snipes said, "Twenty years ago I never would have attempted this at GM...I would have been labeled a feminazi and lost my career." Sigh.

Why is it that feminism is always blamed for tacky sexist trends?

College fraternities, long known as bastions of grace and decorum, are these days featuring yet one more accoutrement of scholastic refinement - the stripper pole.

The most important campus development since the keg, the stripper pole shines like a luminous totem festooning the halls of the American academy. It's erected for a single, glorious purpose:

To get drunken chicks to do slutty stuff.

And where does feminism come in?

Post-feminists argue that the pole is empowering. If a young woman chooses to use it, they say, she is telling the world that she is in charge of her sexuality.

Apparently these pole-loving feminists and post-feminists only exist in reporter Alfred Lubrano's imagination--because he fails to quote one woman outside of the publicist for the company that creates the poles. I mean really, who are "they?" Who are the "some" who are arguing that stripper poles "flaunt liberation?" Great reporting, dude.

It's fairly clear that the Philadelphia Inquirer reporter had little interest in researching his piece, but a lot of interest in making snarky sexist comments:

There was a time when feminism was about women being smart and assertive, and building inner strength.

Somewhere along the line, though, it morphed into slut culture. Girls tell themselves they're in charge. But they're still just strutting it for the boys.

Welcome to Skank 101, freshmen. Open your books to Chapter One, "Pole Vixen." Note how the women in the diagram are dangling, half-dressed and off-balance.

Charming. It's nice to know that some reporters can use their position to call women whores.

Seriously, why the fuck is the PI running this tripe? Contact the paper and ask them why they're running biased, un-researched stories.

Or, if you're feeling feisty, contact the reporter himself. (If you're more of a phone person, his number is 215-854-4969.)

Nerve's Scanner highlights this creepy mannequin-as-model Wonderbra commercial from the 60s. It kinda makes me want to turn that feminist bra-burning myth into a reality.

Here's a more readable close-up. Even the table of contents consist of chapters entitled, "How to Tell the Girls Apart" and "How Much Space Does a Man Need?" (Keep in mind this was a New York Times bestseller.)

Thanks to Michael for the inspiration.

I'm sorry, I think this is hilarious.

Oh my goodness. Love.

I'm upstate on a weekend vacation and don't have my camera wires up here to bring you any new pics, but I think you'll enjoy the alternative. Monty versus the bone.

Here's something a little lighter for the end of your Thursday...

Strangely, the brassiere has been getting a lot of media attention as of late. AlterNet has everything you'll ever need to know about the bra, including the myth that it was almost named a Titzling. (Come on, you can't tell me that's not a little funny.)

Playtex has also been getting crazy press for the new launch of their new bra campaign called "Girl Talk" in which they tell you to basically treat your boobs like people. You know, "The Girls." I suppose it could be seen as a step up from the '94 ad (mentioned in the AlterNet piece) after the jump.

This weekend was his first big adventure--we went to my grandparents' house in upstate New York. Afterwards, he was just a tad tired. (Seriously, he didn't move from that position for over an hour.)

Have a crazy-on-you kinda weekend.

Ah yes, another ridiculous "study" showing how women are inherently homemakers. This week's research reveals that women are naturally better at grocery shopping than men. When that became a skill, I am unaware.

Things I now know about Monty:

He gets a second wind around midnight and wants to play with (destroy) any magazines, Sudoku booklets or mail within reach.

He is a hoarder. If it's on the floor, it will soon be dragged into Monty's crate for safekeeping. This includes toys, shoes, umbrellas and sweatshirts.

He is not a fan of walks. Why go anywhere when you can just poop inside?

Also, faces are for eating (as evidenced after the jump).

He already pooped on my floor, but I really don't mind...

So now that I'm back from vacation (boo), I'm all set to get back to work. Not just on Feministing, but on my new book as well! I'm super psyched to be working again with Seal Press on a fun book that takes on different sexist double standards.

Here's where you come in, dear readers. Tell me what you think the most infuriating, funny, weird (or whatever) sexist double standards are--and I'll try to incorporate some of them in the book. (With appropriate thanks, of course.) My pet-double-standard-peeve is the sexual double standard--you know, men are studs and women are whores. It's something that has baffled me since I was a kid. So, what's yours?

This post from Amanda about Natalie Angier reminded me of how much I frigging love Angier's Woman: An Intimate Geography. She's just such an amazing writer. (The non-fiction skill of Angier with the fiction stylings of Flannery O'Connor would be my dream author hybrid.)

So dear readers, who's your favorite writer?

I just put some pics up of my California trip. Includes such fascinating pics as me eating my first In and Out burger and the biggest piece of seaweed ever.

This is just frigging awesome. Seems that Spiderman teamed up with Planned Parenthood back in the day to create a comic about the importance of sex education--complete with an anti-choice villain who wants teens to get knocked up!

Kind of sad though that this comic is probably more progressive (and factual) than what kids are actually being taught in school.

Thanks to Norbizness for the link.

Like Matt, I don't get the joke.

Ok, so you know how Jessica always loves to post photos of infants that make her ovaries jump? I finally found a baby video that I find satisfying:

Nicole at Scanner says it perfectly, so I'll repeat what she says verbatim: " Finally, a way to watch babies suffer and not feel that bad. I mean, it's a lemon. It's not going to do any permanent damage. Their brains are mush. If anything, it will teach them to not be so greedy." Ahahahahahaha.

"Incarcerated Girls May Be More Aggressive."

The study also found that while teen girls typically are expected to internalize their problems while boys act out, girls in juvenile detention centers are twice as likely as the boys to externalize their anger through aggression.

Any theories?

Given the recent rape-related bullshit in Nebraska, and elsewhere, it's not hard to believe there's a movement called USE not Rape.

What's that? It's from a site called Baptists for Brownback. USE (unplanned sexual event), inspired by right wing wacko Sam Brownback, seeks to stop using the word rape in order to:

remove the stigma associated with this sometimes unpleasant situation. It is our mission to protect the innocent lives of the babies that are part of His plan and eliminate the excuses given by many women when a precious baby just isn't convienient.

Ruin an Enemy Picnic:
If you have neighbors, or God forbid relatives, who are Democrats and/or atheists (it can be hard to tell the difference) that are having a BBQ or picnic today this is your chance to show them your Patriotism. Wait until they are good and drunk, don't worry, they will be, and then march right into the middle of their "celebration" and start reading from the Bible as loud as you can. While you are spreading God's word to the heathens, have a fellow Patriot simultaneously read from the Declaration of Independence. The Liberals hate the Bible and anything constitutional so this will upset them to no end.

It's no wonder gang membership is increasing. Worship is down. Morality is down. Patriotism is down. Where else are these children supposed to turn to? They can't pray in school anymore. When they tour the courthouses and government buildings, they don't see the Ten Commandments or a picture of Christ anymore. If the TV is turned on there is always some Liberal news reporter promoting abortions, homosexuals getting married or making disparaging remarks about our Commander in Chief, President George W. Bush.

Religion, once an integral part of our society, is today being eradicated from nearly every aspect of public life. The First Amendment protects the freedom to practice the religion of one's choice. That freedom is under attack by groups like the American Civil Liberties Union, who profit financially from lawsuits brought against cities and towns that display religious symbols.

Hillary Duff recently had an interview with the Guardian titled, "What I know about men..." in which she talks about not being a "tramp" or "whore," her desire to have a family and bake pies, and comes out with this gem:

I'm not, like, a crazy feminist. I think women definitely need men. Like, I couldn't imagine having a girlfriend!

Icky lesbian feminists! Check out the rest of the interview, it's pretty, um, interesting.

Via DollyMix.

Calling him by his first name makes me feel closer to him.

Everyone, meet the "Susan B. Anthony of pole-dancing."

Via WIMN's Voices.

This is Monty. He lives in Florida at the moment, but in just four short weeks he's coming to live with me in my humble Queens abode. It's okay, be jealous. I know you want to.

You are getting sleepy....you will not hate on people different from you...

Didn't you know? Corporate diversity training is akin to mind control. Yeah, seriously.

The C-string.

I'm with Scanner, which declares, "It will be a cold day in hell before we put a headband over our vaginas."

Was it inevitable? And it was directed by "the master of horror" John Carpenter, I might add.

This gem involves the rape of a 15-year old girl, anti-choice crazies slaughtering doctors at an abortion clinic, and the birth of a demon baby. Well, at least we finally got a movie that addresses the A-word, right?!? Right?? Ugh.

Thanks to Deb for the link.

I just saw an article, and it reminded me of something that really bugs me. We all know how little most anti-abortion, anti-birth control, anti-women doing anything advocates trust women. As in, not at all. That's to be expected. What I don't expect, but see all the time, is how little some women trust each other's decision-making.

That's why when I see stories like this, it makes me sad. It's a story from Reuters about a study of women who ordered Plan B online before it was available over the counter.

All of the women had used an Internet service to get emergency contraception pills, and when surveyed, nearly all said they would have used non-prescription pills had they been available.

Yet fewer than half said they fully supported making emergency contraception available over-the-counter to everyone.

Many other women supported the idea of non-prescription pills, but expressed reservations. Often, they worried that easier access to emergency birth control would encourage other women -- though not themselves -- to be promiscuous or have more unprotected sex.

I'm a very judgmental person by nature. It's something I struggle with every single day. Because one of the most important parts of being a feminist (for me), is trusting other women to make choices about their lives, and respecting those choices they make. Regardless of what I may think would be smarter or better. One thing that helps me check myself is when I say something that sounds eerily like something that a far-right misogynist might say. That's a good time to reflect on where this opinion comes from, and what the result of it could be. Only women who behave "responsibly" should get the morning after pill? No Plan B for sluts? Who decides what is responsible behavior, or who is a slut, or even if being a slut is bad? Dangerous road, right? (Get it? Road right! I'm so funny, and sleep-deprived.)

Anyway, like I said, this is something I struggle with myself. Especially when it comes to romantic relationship decisions. Oh, gets me going big time. So share. What are you judgmental about?

Update: Amanda posted over at Pandagonthat "trusting women" is a poor basis for conveying rights and freedoms. I agree. That wasn't my point in this post. Part of my feminism is struggling against being judgemental because of what I may think I know about other women's lives. It's just something that I do in my head, not something any policy can be based on. It's hard enough to figure out why I do things, forget why anyone else does. Originally I was thinking the word "respect" was better. But, to me, respect suggest some kind of understanding and acceptance. Trust is more of a personal acknowledgment that I am not the best person to decide what's right for you life, and should trust you to do so. Easier said than done, but worth trying for, I think.

Linda Tarr-Whelan, Demos Distinguished Senior Fellow, is working on a book “Want a Better Future? Bet on Women!� and wants to hear from young women:

We are overdue for a national conversation about achieving more women in leadership in the United States. Wouldn’t you like to open the newspaper and see the headline, “Glass Ceiling Cracks Open: Women 40% of Top CEO’s� or “Child Care Woes on the Way Out: All Parents Able to Choose Quality Options that Fit Their Family� or “No More Sticky Floor: The Pay Gap Closes.�

There are some questions below the jump, email your answers to Rachel. Make sure your voice is heard!

There's an opening at Our Bodies, Ourselves for a Communications and Marketing Associate. Hotness.

The same country that lets Libby go arrests Mississippi book store owners for selling "illegal" sex toys:

"They just started taking boxes," Charles Hobby said. "Some of those boxes, I understand, had lotions, massage oils."

The horror! So maybe the answer to getting Libby in prison is to catch him using a butt plug in a southern state.

Dear NuvaRing,

First and foremost, thank you for making sure that I don't get knocked up. I like babies, but prefer to make silly faces at them from the safety of across the room rather than have them come out of my vagina just to hang out for another 18 years.

But I have also have to give you props, Nuva, for your amazing ability to prevent pregnancy without making me feel like crap. Gone are the headaches, swollen boobies and general fuzzy-headness that was par for the course with the pill. My ex, Ortho Tri-Cyclen, cannot compare to you. And even though I was hesitant to stay on a hormonal form of birth control because of all the potential side effects, you changed my mind with your localized nature--keeping the hormones in one place rather than pumping throughout my entire body after ingesting them just seems like a better idea.

But most of all, thanks for just being there.* I don't have to seek you out every day like the pill, or take you out and carry you around like a diaphragm. Your omnipresence is a comfort, even if you do live in my vagina.

Hugs and kisses, Jessica

PS. A big thanks to all who got in the (very long!) conversation about favorite birth control methods. You led me to my beloved NuvaRing and for that I'm forever grateful.

*In my vag, I mean.

Apparently a senior church of England bishop has made an official announcement that a onslaught of floods which has been causing damage across the UK isn't a an overabundance of precipitation resulting in shitty weather, but actually the wrath of the almighty smiting the nation for being too gay-friendly. I should have known!

As the Nerve headline says, "What If Gay Sex Could Actually Cause it to 'Rain Men'?"

I saw this ad for a new thriller movie, “Captivity,� on the train the other day and felt the need to bring attention to it.

But why? After all, it’s just a picture of a crying woman’s face behind bars, right? But notice her mouth slightly open and lips pressed lustifully against the bars. Needless to say, it left a seriously bad taste in my mouth. (Because that metal looks so damn yummy...)

If this ad isn’t marketing sex, I don’t know what is. That along with the fact that she’s crying and in "captivity" is really disturbing. Yes, the sex in thriller flicks is generally expected and normally cheesy, but seeing an ad that’s marketing both sex and violence against women on my way to work every day pisses me the fuck off.

The ad has caught a lot of shit from bloggers as well, one of which you can check out here (which includes a letter from my boyfriend Joss Whedon).

Um, yeah. 46 year-old David McMenemy was sentenced to five years in prison Friday for trying to burn down a women's health clinic in Detroit that he thought performed abortions. (They didn't.)

Alrighty then.

Of course it did.

On the monkey bars.

Sorry, it's Wednesday and I needed a break. Not that I dance around my apartment to this song wearing a fifteen-year old Cross Colors shirt. No, that couldn't be it.

(Lovingly dedicated to my junior high school peeps.)

We love you, Manhattan Mini Storage.

Thanks to MAC for finding this!

When eagle-eyed reader Melissa informed me that there was a Facebook cause called Full Frontal Feminism, I was confused. When she told me it was using my book title and cover image to raise money for the most gross anti-feminist organization ever--the Independent Women's Forum--I was livid.

I'm hoping the creator of the cause just made an honest mistake. I've sent her a message to ask that she change the recipient of any funds raised to an actual feminist organization--or take my book off of there.

If it is in fact some sort of bizarre IWF conspiracy to mislead folks into giving them money using my book...well, I then I know some ladies who'll be getting an early Christmas present.

Too cool. This pic, from Tennessee in 1943, is from an online exhibition, Bound for Glory: America in Color.

Thanks to Lydia for the link!

Here's some cool news to cheer up your weekend. A female horse has won the Belmont for the first time since 1905.

The fabulous filly outdueled Preakness winner Curlin in a breathtaking stretch run and won the Belmont Stakes by a head Saturday, becoming the first of her sex in more than a century to take the final leg of the Triple Crown.

"My hat is off to Rags to Riches," said Curlin's trainer, Steve Asmussen, who never gave up hope his chestnut colt would prevail in the dramatic final strides.

"It's a special feeling now matter when you do it, but when you do it with a filly for the first time in 102 years it's really special," [trainer Todd] Pletcher said.

I don't know much about horse-racing, but this put me in a good mood regardless.

Via Roni.

I find it interesting that out of all of the things that you can make a stun gun be disguised as, some thought a tampon was the most appropriate.

The Pink Stinger looks like a tampon but is an actual stun gun, can dispense up to 50,000 volts of power and shoot up to 14 feet away.

Next up: Pepper spray maxi pads. Word.

Feministing with Gloria Steinem.

Full disclosure: We totally conspired to wear our sunglasses in the picture. Apparently Vanessa did not get the memo. For a picture that's not so too-cool-for-school, click here.

You know, something that has been getting on my nerves lately is that it seems that every woman BUST magazine interviews these days won't call themselves a feminist. Gwen Stefani I could deal with. But imagine my disappointment when I read an interview with Patti Smith in the June/July issue and she says, sigh, "I never was really concerned with the idea of feminism." Then she goes on the predictable "humanism" kick. Nooo!!!

Now watching her on video is just bittersweet. Or maybe just bitter.

I have some pictures up from backstage at The Colbert Report. So fun. Everyone who works on that show is frigging awesome and so nice.

Oh, and a big, huge, enormous thanks to Darcy, Brooke and the other folks at Seal Press for hooking it up, calming my nerves and picking up the tab for the great post-show dinner and drinks!

A perfume priding itself as “The World’s First Spiritual Perfume," apparently takes the scents from the Bible and puts them in a bottle of the oh-so-holy “Virtue.� Because spending the $80 per bottle will make you a true Christian woman!

Additionally, Kentucky has finally opened their $27 million Creation Museum, in which the story of the Bible can apparently be defended by science. Check out Salon's tour of the museum, where they found one room dedicated to condemning abortion and homosexuality. (Aw, a whole room dedicated to us 'lil ole heathens? You shouldn’t have!)

So if you had to, which one would you spend your money on? I would normally say I'd be interested in going to the museum but the pictures in the Salon article scare me a little.

It looks like men now can get take-home tests for their fertility; a new at-home screening test called Fertell is now on the market that allows men to measure the concentration of motile sperm.

While the test is being pitched as a reminder that not only can men contribute to infertility, but that women shouldn't have to do all the work, Dr. Isaacson from Harvard still predicts that women will be the ones initiating the purchase, “My guess is the female partner is the one who’s going to buy this and encourage the guy to use it.�

Because it's not like the guys care about getting pregnant or anything. (Not to mention our own obsession with sperm!)

Apparently female cheetahs "sleep around."

For female cheetahs in the Serengeti, the call of the wild is just too hard to resist as new research shows nearly half of their litters are made up of cubs with different fathers.

And while the serial infidelities of the females does ensure a broader genetic mix to help the survival of the endangered species, it comes at a cost, the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) said on Wednesday.

"Mating with more than one male poses a serious threat to females, increasing the risk of exposure to parasites and diseases," said Dada Gottelli, ZSL's lead scientist for the research.

"Females also have to travel over large distances to find new males, making them more vulnerable to predation, so infidelity is a heavy burden."

Is it just me, or do those arguments sound like abstinence-ed for cheetahs? (I'm sick. Give me a break.)

So my three year stint at San Francisco State is slowly (time is moving like a slug) coming to a close. I will soon have an MA in Women's Studies (assuming I finish my thesis) and can then work at the local grocery store. Just kidding, I will be working with Youth Media Council starting this summer and I am very very excited. If you are not familiar with their work, please, get familiar.

So the point of this post isn't just so you can congratulate me on massive quantities of debt and my phone being shut off for a degree that will never get me a job (just kidding if anyone from the WS program at State is reading, lol), but to rejoice in the fact that I will now have some free time to read something other than really dense transnational feminist theory.

In my excitement I ran down to Modern Times and didn't even know where to begin. I wanted to read everything.

I ended up getting Failed States, by Noam Chomsky and if I had more money I would have gotten Empire's Workshop: Latin America, the United States, and the Rise of the New Imperialism, by Greg Grandin and Revolution Will Not Be Funded: Beyond the Non-Profit Industrial Complex, written by INCITE!

And of course I will be in line when Harry Potter comes out.

What is on your summer reading list?

So my three year stint at San Francisco State is slowly (time is moving like a slug) coming to a close. I will soon have an MA in Women's Studies (assuming I finish my thesis) and can then work at the local grocery store. Just kidding, I will be working with Youth Media Council starting this summer and I am very very excited. If you are not familiar with their work, please, get familiar.

So the point of this post isn't just so you can congratulate me on massive quantities of debt and my phone being shut off for a degree that will never get me a job (just kidding if anyone from the WS program at State is reading, lol), but to rejoice in the fact that I will now have some free time to read something other than really dense transnational feminist theory.

In my excitement I ran down to Modern Times and didn't even know where to begin. I wanted to read everything.

I ended up getting Failed States, by Noam Chomsky and if I had more money I would have gotten Empire's Workshop: Latin America, the United States, and the Rise of the New Imperialism, by Greg Grandin and Revolution Will Not Be Funded: Beyond the Non-Profit Industrial Complex, written by INCITE!

And of course I will be in line when Harry Potter comes out.

What is on your summer reading list?

I just love me some vintage tampon/maxi pad ads. This one is my favorite; I have that outfit at home. Check out more after the jump.

I've been meaning to do this for a while (taking a cue from others). I've been way remiss lately in finding and reading new blogs, so I'll be lazy and let you do it for me...if anyone with a blog wants to whore some of their posts, do it in comments. Fun.

For those without a blog, a random question inspired by the Spiderman weirdness: If you could have a feminist superpower, what would it be?

We've had the racist Halloween costumes. We've had the Disney movie. We've had multiple Hollywood flicks (including the most recent Brave New World, which I heard is horrendous).

Tonight at 8 p.m., PBS is airing a special titled "Pocahontas Revealed," a look at the woman's life from archeologists' perspective. Should be interesting.

Disney has created their own line of wedding dresses to represent the many princesses of Disney movies. Ew.

It's called Disney's Fairy Tale Weddings Collection, where the dresses are meant to represent characters of Disney classics, like Cinderella (in the pic to the right), Jasmine and Snow White. Mara Urshel, owner of the popular Chelsea bridal salon, said she expects the dresses to be top sellers, particularly for younger brides. And exactly how young are we talking?

Even the quotes in the article on thoughts of the dresses were from 12 and 13 year old girls. What the fuck is going on here? I don't know if this some sort of sick scheme to make Disney child brides or convince young girls that they actually can grow up to be a princess -- but only if they get married! Ugh, ugh, ugh.

Thanks to MAC for the link.

Recent reports are showing that there are more girls than boys aged 12-14 years old that are engaging in binge drinking. The Center for Disease Control calls this “an alarming trend.�

While I’m curious as to why more girls are drinking than boys at that age and it’s obviously not a good thing, I don’t understand why it’s so alarming that girls are drinking more than boys. The CDC states:

“There are a multitude of dangers. . . Drinking and driving; being more likely to be sexually active; more likely to be engaged in sex without protection; more likely to be in physical fighting; more likely to have sexual abuse; more likely to use drugs."

A lot of "sex" dangers in there. I would think most of these are the same “risks� for boys, don’t you think? By saying this finding is "alarming," are they implying that a 13-year old boy is more capable of handling serious drinking than a 13-year old girl? Just a thought. But regardless, it is a little crazy that girls this young are engaging in binge drinking. I don't think I ever really got drunk until I was 17.

So I'm running on about three hours of sleep and am stressed like mad. (Hence the lack of posts today, apologies.) So thank goodness that my orchid plant--which I've been nursing back to health for about six frigging months--finally decided to bloom again. It made me feel a million times better.

Total non-feminist question for comments...what's your favorite flower/plant?

Thanks to Jess Wakeman for sending me Dictionary.com's Word of the Day for May 2, 2007. It's a doozy.

termagant \TUR-muh-guhnt\, noun:

1. A scolding, nagging, bad-tempered woman; a shrew.
2. Overbearing; shrewish; scolding.

If only it rolled off the tongue easier, I'd reclaim that shit.

Hey y'all. Gwen and I have been working on an issue of Barnard's The Scholar and Feminist Online for what seems like forever, but it's finally here!

We're really excited to have brought together bloggers and academics to talk about the relationship between feminism and blogging--not only do we have fancy scholarly articles on the subject, we've also put together a blog for the issue. So please check it out and participate. We'll be posting some really great stuff over the next few days.

(And keep an eye out for our video bloopers from the above intro. Too funny.)

“Why Feminist Mommies Are Like Pimps.�

SO true.

After the strip a while back that implied that feminism is no longer needed, perhaps Trudeau is attempting to make amends by talking about women's beauty standards in a recent strip.

Thoughts?

And not just because it's by Feministing contributor Courtney Martin. Buy it cause it's damn good.

Publishers Weekly on Perfect Girls, Starving Daughters: The Frightening New Normalcy of Hating Your Body:

It is no longer enough for girls to be good, says journalist and teacher Martin in her debut book. Girls must now be perfect, and that need for perfection is played out in women's bodies. But beneath the high-achieving 'perfect girl' surface, seven million American girls and women suffer from an eating disorder; 90% of high school–aged girls think they are overweight. Drawing on more than 100 interviews with women and girls ages 9–29, Martin constructs a cultural critique of a generation of girls steeped in the language of self-control.

On a personal note: Courtney is literally one of the nicest people I've ever met. Being the ever-skeptical New Yorker, I'm always baffled by people who never have a mean word to say about anyone and who are genuinely just lovely. So congrats, girl. I'm looking forward to many more nights of feminist dance parties doing the running man and waxing philosophic about the superior fashion stylings of Cross Colors.

Dozens of female students from a Lousiana high school were turned away from their prom this weekend because a teacher believed their dresses were too revealing. The claim was that the "offensive garb" displayed too much cleavage.

What's even more infuriating is that school district officials are backing the teacher, since all she was doing was enforcing a dress code that's apparently been in effect for years. (Since the Victorian era perhaps?)

While I think they should have been allowed to wear whatever they damn well please, the kicker is that the dresses were barely anything to make a fuss about (the article has a slideshow). Just plain ole prom dresses. Sigh.

Other than because of Ugly Betty, of course.

Hayek in an upcoming issue of Marie Claire on women being pressured to have children:

“I think it’s terrible women are put in that position. Motherhood is not for everyone — it is for me, but there’s no reason women should feel rushed to have a child...I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but society thinks if you don’t have children, you’ve failed as a woman, even if you are CEO of a company. You’ve got to be beautiful, smart, skinny, tall, rich, successful at your job, married to the right guy — and have genius children.�

This is just...ugh. Apparently American Airlines has launched a special website for women travelers. The site is chock full of woman-things like "girlfriend getaways" and pink search boxes with less of those confusing functions that just confuse our poor little girl minds.

Thanks to the always-vigilant David for the tip!

Via Consumerist.

I want this kid.

Remember the short film, A Girl Like Me, by teenager Kiri Davis (above)? Well, along with two other films by young women, it's up for a $10,000 prize given my CosmoGirl.

So go watch the films and vote!

Vanessa and I decided that it's high time for a Friday feminist dance-off. So we're going out with some of our fave friends and cohorts from the REAL hot 100 to do some damage in the bars of NYC.

Here's my inspiration for tonight's dance party:

I'm fully expecting to do the running man.

So what are your weekend plans?

Be afraid. Be very, very afraid.

Christian comedian Keith Deltano has been performing at a number of high schools in Loudon County, Virginia this year with the intent of pushing abstinence-only education through comedy. How does he do this, do you ask? By dangling a cinderblock over a male students' crotch to demonstrate the ineffectiveness of condoms against HIV.

Because what's funnier than a brick possibly dropping on your dick?? Hahaha!! Heh.

Via Nerve.

UPDATE: Check out Deltano in action after the jump.

When the sale of used panties is outlawed, only the outlaws will have used panties.

I thought this was a cheesy but cute, brief piece that reminds us what the Girl Scouts actually does besides sell cookies, and why they’re necessary. One of my many grandiose dreams is to create a similar girls’ organization, but with the specific goal of raising our future feminist revolutionaries (I can see it now, “Feminist Friends for the Future�...), but I suppose Girl Scouts will do for now.

Now that I think about it, I could say that being in the Brownies was my first feminist experience. (Not to mention my dad was the Brownie leader; one of the only two or three male Brownie leaders in the state at the time.)

Anyone have Girl Scouts experiences (good or bad) to share? Or title suggestions for my feminist boot camp?

This is pretty cool. (And an excuse to embarrass Jessica by promoting her soon-to-be-released book.)

While only 15 percent of the books on the New York Times non-fiction bestseller list over the past 52 weeks were authored by women, almost 70 percent of non-fiction books are purchased by women. This, along with International Women’s Day, sparked a women authors networking group to launch a national survey on women and books.

Essentially the study will aim to look into the reading and buying (books) trends of women, as well as research the ways in which aspiring women authors can, well, get successfully published.

While I’m always wary of random types of research methods such as this, I’m interested to see the results nonetheless. Go here to take the survey.

I know it's not Friday...but what better way to end a Monday than with some gratuitous pussy shots.

Hot kitty action after the jump.

Sometimes you come across ads that so baffling that there are no words.

(And before all the non-New Yorkers jump on me, it was just a joke. I'm sure there are great bagels/vaginas in every state.)

Via AdFreak.

(That could very well win for Feministing's Cheesiest Title Award.)

Since I’ve recently developed an extreme interest in wine (interest meaning, drinking one or two glasses a night) since moving into my new apartment in Brooklyn, I was pleased to find that the National Women’s Wine Competition is kicking off this month. I was not to pleased to find that it is not being held in Brooklyn.

This year’s event, titled “Wine Women Want,� is going to be held all of this month in Santa Rosa, California where there will be all woman judges for the first time in the U.S. (Yes, the title is a play-off of a Mel Gibson film.) It’s typical in wine competitions for most judges to be men, so this is an exciting break of trend. However, a comment by Lea Pierce, one of the wine experts involved in the event, left a bad taste in my mouth (no pun intended):

‘people want to know what wine women want. Especially men.’

Ah I see why they’re having this silly competition now; it’s just a subliminal way of telling guys what’s good to order on the first date! Genius!

Mark at Punkass Blog outs my terrible, terrible secret.

I know I've posted this vid before, but I don't care--it makes me happy.

Here's a list of some of my faves (in no particular order), if you're interested. Leave your favorites in comments...

According to a new study, eating ice cream (and other dairy products that are high in fat) may help prevent infertility in women. So for you gals looking to have babes eventually, get thee to a Ben and Jerry's! (Actually, Baskin-Robbins is my personal fave.)

So I have three super cool bloggers coming to visit me this weekend: Amanda, Marc, and Norbizness (Austin, represent). So today is going to be a little slow, blogging-wise, as I run my ass back and forth to the airport and clean my apt in an attempt to look like a good hostess.

So as a thank you for your understanding and patience if we're a bit lacking today, I will express my love for you dear readers through the genius of Nelson. I know, don't all thank me at once.

Ah, there’s nothing better than your run-of-the-mill sexist "women as meat" ad to start off your Monday morning.

Our peoples at In These Times featured "A Politically Correct Lexicon" where they go over a number of terms, and experts give their perception of what the appropriate language is to use nowadays. But I have to admit I was extremely pissed to see that these folks believe the politically correct usage of the word "feminist" is pointless because the word itself doesn't really exist anymore:

Feminist: "A word that the younger generation doesn’t always embrace," is how Baim, 44, describes it. A lot of young women, she says, are "feminists but they don’t want to be pigeonholed." "Feminist somehow became a tainted word along the way," says Hill. "I have heard a lot of people say, 'this sounds feminist’ or 'I used to be a feminist.’ " (Emphasis mine)

What the fuck?!? I understand and respect that some women don't want to identify themselves as feminists, and I think these statements would be appropriate in a conversation about evolution of the word "feminism"; but for these two "experts" to suggest that the very term is being phased out of the younger generation is pretty misleading.

Check out Single State of the Union: Single Women Speak Out on Life, Love, and the Pursuit of Happiness, and not just because I have an essay in it. (As do Margaret Cho, Rachel Kramer Bussel and a ton of other cool ladies.)

I was really happy that Diane Mapes, the editor, wanted to put together something on single women and how they're portrayed in the media and elsewhere--and to let single gals speak for themselves. Word.

Literally.

What this means, I don't know. What the accompanying picture has to do with the article is an even bigger mystery.

Any theories?

In an ridiculously juvenile attempt to call out gay activist students who had written smack about him on facebook.com, Senator Scott Brown (R-MA) went off on a less-then-appropriate tirade during a speech he gave at Philip Regional High School last Thursday.

Apparently some commenters on a facebook page dedicated to a gay rights history teacher made negative remarks about the Senator, who is opposed to same sex marriage. Comments included statements such as “I hate Scott Brown� and “scott brown ascends from the underworld.� Others were a wee more harsh and included insults towards his daughter, a former American Idol finalist.

So because kids will be kids (which is no excuse for inappropriate language about someone on the internet, but whatever, it’s facebook), Brown felt it necessary to “loudly and pretty angrily� read aloud the comments to the school, curses included, as well as call out some of the students’ names who had commented against him.

In his defense, he said, “What I was doing was reading from what they had written about me and my family. I actually called them on it. I said ‘Now there’s hate speech and then there’s respectful proper speech.’�

You are SO tough, Senator Brown. What an ass. He might as well yelled, “Na-na-na-na-boo-boo! I know your naaaames!! Wanna mess with me now?? Huh? Huh?�

And yeah, it’s real appropriate to go off on a narcissistic rant because some kids talked smack about you. And these are our country's leaders.

I guess you guys will do. Happy Valentine's Day.

Yes, yes, I know. Valentine's Day is a consumer-based, heteronormative, evil/silly holiday. And there are way too many vaginas involved these days. But I'm feeling festive.

So being I'm solo this year, I figured I would send all of my love and V-Day wishes to you, the lovely readers and supporters of Feministing. Sorry I can't give you all boxes of chocolates and construction paper hearts. Xoxo.

I'm having a party this weekend at my new place...this was just what I needed to put me in the right frame of mind. Have a good one, kids.

For more of the amazing Salt N' Pepa, click here and here.

I'm speechless.

Check out Condi after the jump.

Nell Hamm, 65, who clubbed a mountain lion that attacked her husband while they were out hiking.

Nell Hamm said she grabbed a 4-inch-diameter log and beat the animal with it, but it would not release its hold on her husband's head.

"Jim was talking to me all through this, and he said, 'I've got a pen in my pocket and get the pen and jab him in the eye,"' she said.

"So I got the pen and tried to put it in his eye, but it didn't want to go in as easy as I thought it would."

When the pen bent and became useless, Nell Hamm went back to using the log. The lion eventually let go and, with blood on its snout, stood staring at the woman. She screamed and waved the log until the animal walked away.

Seriously bad-ass.

Our oh-so-favorite Forbes has released profiles of the 20 richest women in entertainment.

What I wonder is why it’s necessary to include their marital status and number of kids as two primary facts of information in their introduction?

Enjoy. I know I did.

Spanish Justice Minister Fernando Lopez Aguilar canceled a speech he was scheduled to give in Saudi Arabia yesterday because the women journalists with him weren’t allowed to attend.

Soooo dreamy.

But Amanda was kind enough to caption this pic of Neidra lounging in my undie drawer. So I had to share.

That's what you'll wear for your wedding, and you'll like it!

Some people have too much time on their hands. Take, for example, “Perplexed in Denver� who wrote into advice columnist Amy Dickinson about a non-virgin bride-to-be who has the audacity to think that she can wear anything but whore-red on her wedding day.

Dear Amy: My wife's niece is getting married soon. She has been living with her boyfriend for more than a year. She spent $400 to buy a white wedding gown.

My question is: Is this morally right? I thought that white meant virginity.

Is this a fad or do lots of people do this? Isn't she breaking the sacred vows of marriage by getting married in white? I told my wife that this is a farce. Who is right?

- Perplexed in Denver

Yes, how perplexing it must be for moronic misogynists to try to fathom that the color of one’s wedding dress isn’t predicated on the status of one’s hymen. Even more perplexing is how this guy actually got someone to marry him. But I digress.

Thankfully, advice-giver Amy points out to Perplexed that he seems shockingly uninterested in the morality and virginity of the groom, and that generally in order to break wedding vows (which I’m quite sure don’t say anything about dress color) one has to be married first.

Perhaps someone should also remind our confused friend that if only virgins wore white when they got married, the wedding gown industry would lose about 95 percent of their customers.

UPDATE: Yes, I fucked with the timestamp on this post so that the one below wouldn't be the first one on the page. That mug could scare away new readers!

Just wanted to share some cool news with y'all. In addition to continuing my work on Feministing (as if I'd ever leave my baby!), I’m going to be do some blogging work with Peter Daou this year. You’ll mostly see me at UN Dispatch, but I’ll also be poking around The Daou Report and elsewhere.

So please be prepared for shameless promotion of said blogs and related campaigns. In fact...I have a post up at UN Dispatch about reactions to the new Deputy Secretary-General, Dr. Asha-Rose Migiro, if you're so inclined. (Come on, be inclined!)

Oh, and the bad-ass shirt can be found here.

(Poor Cupid, tethered to the unreasonable feminist demand that women not be raped.)

Right up there with man-hating and bra-burning is the idea that feminists want to destroy romance. The older myth was that we were just jealous biddies who couldn’t get a date. (Cause feminists are ugly and scary, didn’t ya know?)

The new and improved anti-feminist myth about romance is that we’re big old whores.

My favorite example of this comes from, who else, the Independent Women’s Forum. Their “Take Back the Date� campaign is the ultimate in blaming feminism for killing romance. (What “romance� actually means to the ladies of IWF is a whole other story; the fact that the campaign name is a play on Take Back the Night speaks volumes, IMO.)

Who won the sexual revolution? Not young women who live in the world of "hooking up," the modern campus alternative to dating. Young women complain to us that dating has become an anachronism. Instead of chivalry and courtship, college relationships are more often nothing more than awkward drunken make-out sessions.

According to IWF Vice President Carrie Lukas, feminists use Valentine’s Day to “celebrate the sexual revolution for freeing women to have sex as casually as men.� Uh huh. (Translation: Feminists have sex! And sex isn’t romantic!)

What’s truly interesting to me about this campaign is that it positions college campuses’ V-Day—which generally consist of a performance of The Vagina Monologues and other anti-sexual violence activities—as the antithesis to romance. Just check out the Take Back the Date flyer made available on IWF’s site (a cropped section of which is above).

Free Cupid! Feminist groups have gone too far! They’re promoting female victimology and male-bashing with performances of The Vagina Monologues and misleading information about women’s issues.

So if anti-violence is anti-romance, then what exactly is romance to the IWF? Going back to the good old days where women were raped and no one spoke out? This may seem like a harsh take on the campaign, but considering how often sexual violence against women is conflated with romance, I think it’s appropriate.

Random example: Some years ago, I had a pretty disturbing experience with a guy I had casually dated turning into a full-blown stalker. It was terrifying—threatening phone calls, hanging out in front of my apartment building, checking my emails, hacking into my AIM, and more that I won’t even get into. But all of this was done with romantic rhetoric about how he was just crazy in love with me. I even had a guy friend of mine, who I asked for advice on the situation, wonder why I would be so upset about someone “caring� about me so much.

And there’s a reason, after all, that many rape awareness curricula are sure to point out that rape has nothing to do with romance or being overcome by “passion�—because too often that’s the way it’s perceived, specifically in acquaintance rapes. It’s all about women being resistant, and how romantic it is when guys finally “get through� to them. (For a funny-scary take on this, check out this piece in The Onion.)

Feminists aren’t anti-romance, when romance means mutual affection and respect. And yes, feminists think that women should be able to have casual sex if they want to—but that doesn’t mean that we all scoff at the idea of dating and relationships, either. If you ask me, feminists are the most romantic women around—because we rely on our own judgment and choices to define what’s romantic. And that’s deserving of some flowers.

The first picture is from here. The second is a product of this.

Talk amongst yourselves.

This was my jam back in junior high.

It was quite a year...

Sweetest Victory: Election '06, baby! We bid farewell to Rick Santorum, Kansas AG Phill Kline, and a slew of other notable anti-choicers. South Dakota rejected the abortion ban. Democrats took Congress, and we've got the first female Speaker of the House.

Sweetest Partial Victory: Plan B finally approved for over-the-counter sale... sorta.

Best Ways for Girls to "Go Wild": Take EC (a perennial favorite), dance, go on Spring Break, go out to a bar, get physically assaulted by Joe Francis.

Worst Lying "Doctor": Tie! It's gotta be either Bush's anti-contraception family planning office appointee Eric Keroack or Mark Rector, who said the South Dakota abortion ban provided an exception for the health of the mother.

Worst Bush Appointee: Keroack. (So bad he makes this list twice...)
--Runner Up: New director of the Office on Violence Against Women.

Best Innocence-Killer: HPV vaccine! Now approved and recommended for all girls, who are finally free to slut it up without consequences.

Most Hilarious Anti-Sex Propaganda: Plant metaphors, Dudes can get pregnant, too, the Purity Princess Survivor Kit, the Virginity Voucher, "No sex for you, my pretty!"

Worst Expansions of the Abstinence-Only Empire: Medical students and all twentysomethings.

Worst Description of Feminism: Bras 'n' aprons.

Best News for Female Leadership: Portia Simpson Miller, Angela Merkel, Michelle Bachelet, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf (Ok, that was late 2005, but still.)

Worst Advice: Tie! Either "Don't marry a career girl" or "Live every day as if you're about to be pregnant."

Best Example of the Media's Inability to Competently Cover Issues Related to Race or Sexual Assault: The Duke rape case.

Worst State Court Ruling: Women in Maryland can't say no once sex has started.

Worst Case of Feminist Policing: "Shot through the heart, and you're to blame / You give feminism a bad name."

Best Reasons to Redefine Hotness: 100 of them.

Worst Federal Anti-Choice Legislation: Fetal pain bill and the Teen Endangerment Act. (Thankfully, neither passed.)

False-Hope-Inspiring, Recurring Headline of the Year: Male birth control pill may soon be a reality!

Best Reasons Not to Fuck Republicans: There are many, but here are just a few.

Contenders for the 2006 Bullshit Research Award: Houswork prevents cancer, Women like to talk and men don't, Girls who like sex make for limp dicks, Parasite turns women into whores.

Under-Covered Story of the Year: Jess's boobs. Ha.

I've learned a lot of things last year, but these are the gems I pumped out last night after a half a bottle of wine. Feel free to share your own in comments. Feministing is taking two Advil and will see you in the morning.

Prunes, apparently, are made from plums. Who knew?

I don’t miss television. I haven’t ordered cable since I moved into my own place, and I’m realizing that I don’t really need it.

My mother is remarkably underappreciated.

No matter what I do or accomplish, someone is always going to judge me by the way I look.

I really, really like living by myself—I’ve been shocked to realize how much I like solitude.

Fate is cruel and will do things like have Netflix send you The Notebook on the day your relationship ends.

I can’t tell the difference between mice and moles.

Even though I’ve been working on feminist issues for years, some things (actually a lot of things) can still make me cry in frustration.

Plants die in my presence. Seriously, they’re in my apartment a day and then they’re dead.

My sister is the best friend I could ever have.

My resolution? Well, that one is private.

Happy New Year!

Thanks to Amanda for helping me to find the perfect outlet for said mood.

I mean, seriously?

I'm late on this one. Salon's Rebecca Traister interviews Dawn Eden about her new book, The Thrill of the Chaste. It's priceless, really.

Pandagon and Feministe have more.

Now if we could only get our hands on that video...